Coin-controlled device for regulating gas flow



July 18, 1939. H. c. MAYERS 2,166,372

COIN-CQNTROLLED DEVICE FOR REGULATING GAS FLOW Filed Feb. 17, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 fM lfA/roe H. 6 MayefS By I v /%y,

r I fliiys July 18, 1939. H. c. MAYERS COIfi-CONTROLLED DEVICE FOR REGULATING GAS FLOW Filed Feb. 17, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I x 52 7E H. C. MAYERS July 18, 1939.

COIN-CONTROLLED DEVICE FOR REGULATING GAS FLOW 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. 17, 1937 Patented July 18, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFiCE COIN-CONTROLLED DEVICE FOR REGULATING GAS FLOW Howard Clive Mayer's, London, England Application February 17, 1937, Serial No. 126,291 In Great Britain February 1'7, 1936 7 Claims. (01. 1619) This invention relates to coin-controlled dis- The invention is illustrated by way of example pensing devices for the supply of gas. in the accompanying drawings in which It is the primary object of the present inven- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of the tion to provide an improved and particularly winding mechanism and the differential gear;

compact mechanism whereby gas may be dis- Figure 2 is afront View of the complete apparapensed by a coin-controlled mechanism either tus; on a time basis or upon a basis which at least in Figure 3 is a plan corresponding to Figure 2; part depends upon the rate at which the supply Figure 4 is a front elevation partly in section is being consumed. It is a further object to as taken on the line 44 of Figure 3;

provide an improved construction of coin-con- Figure 5 is a diagrammatic plan showing the 10 trolled clockwork driven apparatus, which is ar- Wheel train for driving the balance wheel escaperanged to supply gas for a predetermined time ment mechanism; depending upon the number of coins inserted. Figure 6 is a side elevation of the apparatus;

The apparatus which is provided with manual Figure '7 is a sectional elevation of the master 5 control means for cutting off the supply of gas gas valve taken on the line l'l of Figure 6; and stopping the clockwork so that the entire F g e 8 s a real elevation of the apparatus quantity of gas need not be used in one unintershowing the primary and secondary cam discs rupted interval, is also provided with runningwith the apparatus working; down means which enable the clockwork to run F gure 9 is a fragmentary view corresponding down even when the gas supply has been cut off to Figure 8 showing both cam discs in their new 20 by the said manual control means. tral or zero position;

According to the invention, in coin-controlled u e 10 is a fragmenta y f ont elevation of mechanism for the supply of gas is provided a the coin-freed winding device with the cover plate spring driven regulating device comprising a removed;

clockwork motor, a differential gear having ele- Figure 11 is a front view of the manual means 5 ments, one element being actuated during the used for stopping and starting the clockwork mowinding-up of the clockwork, a second element tor, the manual gas tap being in its on posiby the running-down of the clockwork, and a tion;

third element being thereby returned to a pre- Figure 2 is a side l v i n rr sp n to determined zero position, a gas valve, and means Figure 11; 30 operatively connected with the third element Figure 13 is a view corresponding to Figure 11 which permit the valve to close and which stop with the manual tap in its o position a d e the clockwork at the zero position, the said means running dow means in actio subsequently maintaining the valve in its closed Fi r 4 is a on l i r m ill s ra n position under the force exerted by the spring of a fied method of controlling the runnin 35 the clockwork motor. down of the clockwork motor; and

In particular, the means which close the valve, Figure 15 is a Sectional diagram s ow g a and maintain it in its closed position under the d ed differential gear a e e force exerted by the spring of the clockwork Referring to Figure 1 e C ckwo k motor mechanism comprise a cam operatively conn t d comprises in essence a winding arbor I5 to which 40 to the third member of the differential gear havis attached a ratchet Wheel Derating With ng a notch in its periphery, a cam follo and a fixed pawl 11, said arbor It being secured in a leaf spring which presses the follower lightly the usual manner to the centre of a spiral spring into the notch, the movement of the follower tothe Outer end of which latter is connected wards the bottom of the notch, and the conse- Wlth barrel rotatably mounted upon the F L D c arbor E5. The barrel i9 is formed with teeth 20 gi flggg igg gg i fgg ggs g fg which mesh directly with a wheel 2! formed in W one with a crown wheel 22. This crown wheel of h Clockwork motor Whlle the force Subse 22 is rotatably mounted upon a spindle 23 and quemly exerted by the Sand sprmg of the clock constitutes the second member of the differential 50 work, after the clockwork has stopped, serves to gear The fir t member comprises a crown Wheel maintain the valve in its closed position. 243 which is also rotatably mounted upon t Further objects of the invention and the manspindle 23, and which meshes by way of an idler ner in which it is carried out will become clear wheel 25 with a wheel 26 secured to the arbor I5, from the following description. the gear ratio between the wheels 24 and 26 being equal to that between the wheels 21 and 20. The spindle 23 forms the carrier for a planet wheel 21 constituting the third element of the diiTerential gear, and this spindle is connected by gear wheels 28 and 29 with a substantially circular cam disc 36 cooperating with a pin 3| carried by a follower arm 32. The position of the latter determines whether the supply is available or is interrupted.

The winding mechanism of the apparatus, which is shown diagrammatically in Figure 1, comprises a coin-controlled device 33 which is fitted within a stationary tubular barrel 34 carried by the body of the apparatus, said coin-controlled device 33 being fitted with a finger 35 which upon the insertion of a coin in the slot 36 (see Figure 2) is moved into engagement with the appropriate tooth of the ratchet wheel l6. Thereafter rotational movement of the twin handles 3? first causes the plate 38 to cover the coin slot 36 and then bodily rotates the part 39 of the device together with the finger 35 and the coin. When the latter comes opposite to a delivery slot 46 it is ejected and the finger 35 is withdrawn from the ratchet wheel Hi.

In one practical embodiment which is herein described as an example, it will be seen from Figure 3 that the mechanism is mounted between four main plates 4|, 42, 43 and 44 which are held in spaced relationship by supports 45, 45 and 41. The spindle 23 carrying the planet wheel 21 is fitted at its front end with a hand 48 which cooperates with a scale 49 visible through a window at the front of the apparatus.

In order to control the running down of the spring [8 the teeth 20 upon the barrel l9, in addition to meshing with the wheel 2|, also ongage a pinion 59 and this drives through a train of gear wheels |56, a time controlled escape ment device having a balance wheel 51 and escapement wheel 58. Thus, the running down of the clockwork motor which comprises principally the barrel l9, the differential gear 22, 24, 2! and the wheel train 50--58 is controlled on a time basis, and the period for which the gas supply is available depends upon the initial setting of the coin-freed winding device 33 and the number of coins inserted.

As will be seen in Figure the plate 59 forming the stationary part of the coin-controlled mechanism 33 is notched at intervals around its periphery at 60 for engagement with the fixed pin 8!, the initial setting of the plate 59 serving to determine the amount by which the clockwork motor can be wound for each inserted coin. A rectangularhole 62 in the plate 44 serves for the attachment of a cover plate 63 holding the plate 59 in place, while the insertion and locking of a coin box 64 having a flange 65 prevents unauthorised tampering with the apparatus and in particular with the setting of the plate 59.

The means used for controlling the flow of gas through the apparatus are shown more particularly in Figures 6 to 9, and comprise mainly a valve body 66 which is positioned at the rear of the apparatus as will be seen in Figure 6, said body being formed with an inlet passage 61 which communicates by a passage 63 with a manually actuated gas tap 69 from which the gas passes into a cavity 'lil containing an angularly movable valve arm H secured to a spindle T2. The outlet from the chamber 10 consists of a pipe '53, the opening of which can be closed by means of a pad 14 carried pivotally upon the, outer end of the arm 'il. Externally, the spindle i2 is fitted with the cam follower arm 32 as shown in Figure 8, and the pin 3| at the extremity of this is normally urged towards the periphery of the main cam disc 30 by a leaf spring 75. The cam disc 35 is formed at one point in its periphery with a notch 16, and the spring is so arranged that as the disc 30 rotates in an anti-clockwise direction from the position shown in Figure 8 the spring 15 causes the pin 3| to engage the notch, after which the latter carries the pin 3i forward to the position shown in Figure 9, thus moving the valve arm 'll downwardly and shutting off the supply of gas.

In order to allow gas to be supplied for a relatively long time by the insertion of a number of coins a secondary cam disc TI is fitted with a gear wheel 78, which meshes with a pinion 19 upon the spindle 23 so that one revolution of the cam T! represents several complete turns of the main cam 39. An arm 85 pivoted at 8| is fitted with a pin 82 engaging the periphery of the cam Ti, and at its lower end the arm 80 is adapted to push upon the pin 3! and lift it off the cam 30. When the cam Tl is in its zero or neutral position the pin 82 is disposed within a notch 83, but during the winding up of the clockwork motor the arm 80 moves the pin 31 away from the cam 39 before the latter has made one complete revolution, thereby preventing the pin 3i from dropping into the notch 16 until both cams have been returned to their zero or neutral position.

In order to allow the user to stop the gas supply at will the manual tap 69 is fitted with a handle 84 disposed at the front of the apparatus, and the connecting spindle B5 is fitted with a cam 86 which is utilised for stopping the clockwork motor when the supply is not being used. The mechanism for this purpose is illustrated mainly in Figures 4, 11, 12 and 13. A crank arm 8i is freely pivoted upon the spindle 85 and is normally drawn downwards by a spring 88 so that a pin 89 engages with a screw-threaded stop 90. At its extremity the crank arm 8'! carries a lever 9| which is urged in a clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 11 owing to the provision of a coiled tension spring 92 anchored to a lug 93 carried upon the crank arm 81. A pin 94 upon the lever 9i cooperates with the cam 86, while a wire 95 serves to arrest the motion of the balance wheel 5'! by bearing against its periphery. A stop 96 limits the movement of the lever 9|. When the gas is turned ofi during normal operation by the handle 84 the parts assume the positions shown in Figure 4, and upon moving the handle 84 in an anti-clockwise direction the pin 94 suddenly escapes past the cam 86 and the wire 95 consequently sweeps tangentially away from the balance wheel, thus giving an impulse to the latter. When the tap 69 is next turned off the engagement of the cam 86 with the pin 94 first lifts the lever 9!, and as said pin suddenly rides over the cam 86 the wire 95 sharply engages with the balance wheel 57.

Means are also incorporated in this part of the apparatus for the purpose of allowing the proprietor or other authorised persons to cause the clockwork motor to run down without the tap 59 being turned on. For this purpose a secondary crank arm 97 is freely mounted upon the spindle 85, but is held in slipping frictional engagement with the end plate 44 by means of a strip 98 composed of springy material. A wire 99 carried by the arm 91 is bent upwardly as shown in Figure 12, and is used for lifting the crank arm 8'! when the arm 91 is raised to the position seen in Figure 13. This lifts the wire 95 clear of the balance wheel 51 and allows the clockwork motor to operate until such time as the master gas valve 'II is fully closed. The arm 91 does not require a special resetting movement, as the mechanism is arranged so that the next time the tap 84 is moved to its on position the cam 86 itself bears upon the wire 99 and moves the arm 91 to its normal position as seen in Figures 4 and 11.

It. will be seen that in use the amount by which the clockwork motor is allowed to run down corresponds exactly with the extent to which the spring I8 is wound up, and that said spring need never become completely unwound. Indeed it is desirable that with the cams 30 and II in their neutral or Zero positions there should be a decided force exerted by the spring I8 as this, acting through the planet wheel 21 and the cam 30, securely holds the pad I4 against the end of the pipe l3. In this way the whole force exerted by the spring is is taken by the pad I4 and the gear train 50-58 is relieved of stress.

The manner in which the differential gearing is operated by the winding-up and running-down of the clockwork so as to control the gas valve is as follows:

When the mechanism is in its zero position, the side of the notch 16 in the primary cam 30 bears against the follower 3I, so as to maintain the valve 'lI firmly closed, through the medium of the follower arm 32 and the spindle I2 under the action of the main spring I0, which latter is not fully run down.

During the winding-up of the clockwork mechanism the ratchet wheel I5 serves to rotate the wheel 26, the idler wheel 25, and the crown wheel 2 of the first member of the differential gear. This latter wheel 24 in turn serves to run the planet wheel 2'! round the periphery of the crown wheel 22 constituting the second member of the differential gear, and thus rotates the spindle 23, which in turn serves to rotate the cams 30 and TI. During the initial movement of the cams 30 and II from their zero position, the notch 16 of the cam 39 causes the follower 3i to move out of the notch it against the action of the leaf spring I5, the follower 3i thus rotating the arm 32 and the spindle I2 and lifting the valve pad I4 off its seat. During the winding-up of the clockwork the barrel i0, wheel 2| and crown wheel 22 are stationary, as also are the wheels 50 to 58 associated therewith, the balance wheel 5? being held from rotation by the wire 05 carried by the lever 95, and the manual valve 69 being closed.

When the manual valve 69 is opened by rotation of the handle 84, the lever BI is allowed to move sharply so as to sweep the wire 95 away from the balance wheel 5'! to start the clockwork as previously explained. During the runningdown of the clockwork which then follows, the barrel I9, wheel 2! and crown wheel 22 are rotated as also are the wheels 53 to 58 associated therewith, while the wheel 20, the idler wheel 25, and the crown wheel 24 remain stationary. Thus the planet wheel 27 now runs round the periphery of the crown wheel 24 and rotates the spindle 23;? in the reverse direction, which in turn serves to return the cams 30 and I? to the position in which the follower 3| can enter the notch 75 of the primary cam 30. The action of the main spring I8 now serves to hold the valve pad Iii firmly on its seat since it tends to rotate the primary earn 30 still further thereby transmitting force through the follower 3|, the follower arm 32, and the spindle I2, to the valve II.

It is not essential that the valve H should be worked on a fixed time basis, as means may be arranged, if desired, whereby the rate at which the gas is used is taken into account to a certain extent. Thus, a modification is illustrated in Figure 14. In place of the gear train escapement 5058 the drum I9 is connected with a pinion I carried upon a shaft IOI which passes through a packing gland I02 into the interior of a casing I03. A set of gear wheels I04 within the casing connects the spindle IOI with a spindle I carrying a windmill rotor I06 having a series of inclined vanes. The gas supply enters at I01 and passing through a circular series of nozzles I08 impinges upon the rotor I06 and encourages its rotation, the gas leaving the casing by a passage I09 and from thence passing to the valve body 65 as in the previous example. The rotor I06 which is fitted with a diametral vane I I0 serving as an air brake is arranged, so that under the normal influence of the spring I8 it rotates relatively slowly, but when gas is being used the impulses given to the rotor I06 speed up the latter approximately in accordance with the rate at which the gas is being used.

A somewhat modified arrangement of differential gear and clockwork spring is shown in Figure 15, in which the spring I8 is attached at its inner end with a differential barrel III and at its outer end is carried by a stationary pin II2 fixed to a convenient frame plate I I3. The barrel III contains the first member 24 of the differential gear, the second member 22, and the third member comprising a planet wheel 21 carried on the spindle 23 as before. The wheel 21 is freely rotatable upon the spindle 23 and is connected by a sleeve with the ratchet wheel I6 having a pawl I! and arranged to be wound by a coin-controlled device having a finger 35 as before. The second member 22 is similarly carried on a freely rotatable sleeve formed with a pinion 4' which drives the gear train of the clockwork motor indicated at I I5. The spindle 23 carries or is connected with the cam disc 30 for actuating the pin 3| of the follower arm 32, and is also fitted with the indicating hand 43 for showing the extent of use whch is due to the user. The operation of this modified device is the same as before. The insertion of a coin permits the ratchet wheel to be wound, and as the wheel 22 is held stationary by the gear train II5 a rotational movement is imparted to the planet carrier and spindle 23 to which the drum III is attached. This winds the spring I8 and simultaneously moves forward the cam 30, thus opening the master device such as a gas valve and advancing the hand 48. Upon cessation of winding the force of the spring is imparted to the wheel 22 (the wheel 24 being anchored by the ratchet wheel I6) and thus drives the train of gears I I5 and an escapement or equivalent regulating device. As the spring I8 unwinds, the spindle 23 is returned to its neutral or zero posi-. tion at which the supply is cut off as before.

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific examples given and that it may be used for controlling any fluid supply by embodying a suitable master controlling device; a switch would obviously be used if the apparatus was intended for an electricity supply.

What I claim is:

1. In coin-controlled mechanism for the supply of gas, a spring driven regulating device comprising a clockwork motor, a differential gear having elements, one element being actuated during the winding-up of the clockwork, a second element actuated by the running-down of the clockwork, and a third element being thereby returned to a predetermined zero position, a gas valve, and means operatively connected with the third element permitting the valve to close and stopping the clockwork at the zero position, said means subsequently maintaining the valve in its closed position under the force exerted by the spring of the clockwork motor.

2. In coin-controlled mechanism for regulating the supply of gas, the combination of a spring driven clockwork motor, a differential gear comprising a first element which is operated during the winding-up of the clockwork, a second element which is operated by the running-down of the clockwork, and a third element which is moved in one sense by the first element and in the reverse sense by the second element, a cam operatively connected with the third element, a cam follower cooperating with the cam, and a gas valve connected with the cam follower, the force exerted by the spring of the clockwork motor serving to rotate the cam into a predetermined zero position in which the valve is permitted to close and then being transmitted by the cam to the valve, whereby the latter is firmly held in its closed position and the clockwork is stopped.

3. In coin-controlled mechanism for regulating the supply of gas, the combination of a spring driven clockwork motor, a differential gear comprising a first element which is operated during the Winding-up of the clockwork, a second element which is operated by the running-down of the clockwork, and a third element which is moved in one sense by the first element and in the reverse sense by the second element, a cam operatively connected with the third element, a cam follower, a gas valve connected with the follower, a notch in the periphery of the cam, and a leaf spring which presses the follower lightly into the notch, the movement of the follower towards the bottom of the notch, and the consequent closing of the valve, being completed by rotation of the cam under the action of the spring of the clockwork motor and the force subsequently exerted by the said clockwork spring after the clockwork has stopped serving to maintain the valve in its closed position.

4. In coin-controlled mechanism for regulating the supply of gas, the combination of a spring driven clockwork motor, a differential gear comprising a first element which is operated by the winding-up of the clockwork, a second element which is operated by the running-down of the clockwork and a third element which is displaced by the first element and returned by the second, a main cam operatively connected with the third element, a cam follower, a gas valve connected with the follower, a notch in the periphery of the main cam into which the follower can move to close the valve, the said notch then cooperating with the follower under the action of the spring of the clockwork motor to hold the valve firmly in its closed position, and a secondary cam which rotates at a different speed from that of the main cam and. prevents the follower from engaging the notch in the main cam until a predetermined number of revolutions of the main cam have been made.

5. In coin-controlled mechanism for regulating the supply of gas, the combination of a spring driven clockwork motor, a differential gear comprising a first element which is operated during the winding-up of the clockwork, a second element which is operated by the running-down of the clockwork and a third element which is moved in one sense by the first element and in the reverse sense by the second element, a cam operatively connected with the third element, a cam follower associated with the cam, a gas valve connected with the follower, a notch in the periphery of the cam which in its zero position permits the follower to close the valve and then engages the follower to hold the valve firmly closed under the action of the spring of the clockwork motor, a manually controlled gas valve, a feeler associated with the manual valve which normally prevents the operation of the clockwork when the manual valve is closed, and running-down means which serve to displace the feeler and permit the clockwork to operate even if the manually controlled valve is closed.

6. In coin-controlled mechanism for regulating the supply of gas, the combination of a spring driven clockwork motor, a differential gear comprising a first element which is operated during the winding-up of the clockwork, a second element which is operated by the running-down of the clockwork and a third element which is moved in one sense by the first element and returned by the second, a cam operatively connected with the first element, a cam follower associated with the cam, a gas valve connected with the cam follower, a notch in the periphery of the cam which in its zero position permits the cam follower to close the valve and then engages the follower to hold the valve closed under the action of the spring of the clockwork motor, a manually controlled gas valve, a feeler associated with the manual valve which normally prevents the operation of the clockwork when the manual valve is closed, and running-down means which serve to displace the feeler and permit the clockwork to operate even when the manual valve is closed, said feeler and means being returned to their normal condition by actuation of the manual valve.

7. In coin-controlled mechanism for the supply of gas, a spring driven clockwork motor, a differential gear comprising three elements, a first element which is operated by winding up the clockwork, a second element which is operated by the running down of the clockwork and a third element which is rotated in one sense by the first element during winding up and moved in the reverse sense by the second element during running down, a cam operatively connected with the third element, a cam follower, a gas valve connected with the follower, a notch in the periphery of the cam, which, when it reaches its zero position during running-down permits the follower to close the valve and then engages the follower under the action of the spring of the clockwork motor to hold the valve closed, and a rotor which is connected with the clockwork and is disposed in the gas stream so as to regulate the rate of running down of the clockwork in accordance with the rate of flow of gas.

HOWARD CLIVE MAYERS. 

